Remembrance
by TheGoldenThread
Summary: Lucy finds a wounded Natsu on her doorstep, remembering only his name, and offers to take care of him while he gets his memories back. But, as Lucy helps Natsu regain his memories, she finds herself falling for him further complicating things. And, when they learn the truth behind how he lost his memories, she questions whether he will stay. [ON INDEFINITE HIATUS]
**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, it all belongs to Hiro Mashima**

Remembrance

Lucy couldn't wait to get home, she turned the corner to her small cottage and the red hue of the light. The windows of her BMW were rolled down, letting in the night air, and she reached over a freshly French manicured nail, turning up the song on her touch screen radio. She pondered about all the things she had to do when she got home: grade papers and make dinner yet above all those things, a glass of red wine was at the top of her lists. Her phone vibrated in her pink purse, she picked it up to see the caller ID, not wanting to miss a call from Levy. Almost instantly, Lucy clicked her tongue as soon as she saw the identity of the ringer and silenced her phone. It had been from a guy she had met at a bar a couple of weeks ago and sure, she went out on a date with him a couple of times, but it became very apparent to her that all he wanted her for was sex.

Hell, he would send her dick pictures late at night like she wanted to see that shit at 2 a.m. in the morning.

This guy was just another name in the long list of trashy men Lucy came across, every guy took notice of her ample breasts and wide flaring hips. She could envision them licking their lips, their eyes revealing their licentious lewd notions, a look she was quite familiar with. All Lucy wanted to be much more to a guy than a booty call, she wanted a relationship but her search had proved to be no avail. The voluptuous blond was almost to the point of swearing off guys and she certainly wasn't going to endorse in the ones that her father occasionally wanted her to go out. Those men were stuck up assholes.

She sighed to herself, blocking the guy's number and tossed her phone back in her purse. Lucy drove past a couple of houses and pulled into her driveway. She took off her red high heels, her feet were killing her after being on them all day and she grabbed her stack of papers. Lucy was an astronomy teacher at the local college, she had loved learning about the constellations ever since she could remember and she loved teaching it even more.

It was one of the many things her and her mother had in common before she passed away.

Lucy fumbled through her purse for her keys and opened the door. Lucy sat her purse on the side, pulling the pin out of her hair that held her messy bun together and her blond tresses fell down. She collapsed on the couch, alleviated by the comfort, and she closed her eyes. After a few moments, she got up and headed for her bedroom. She pulled out a purple tank top and a pair of shorts with socks. Lucy hopped on her pair of pajamas and then headed to the kitchen. The phone rang again and Lucy picked it up.

"Hey, Levy."

"Did you hear about the storm that is coming in tonight?" Levy inquired on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I heard." Lucy said, pulling out some pasta.

"Me and Gajeel were going to go out to the movies, but I had to move it to home dinner and movie." Levy sighed.

"And something else right? Dessert?" Lucy teased. Levy gasped on the other end of the line.

"No, we're not doing _that_!" Levy hissed. "I'm on my period right now." Lucy giggled.

"He wouldn't care." She pointed out. "Hey, do you have some new books for me?"

"You can't change the subject like that." Levy said flustered. Lucy could imagine her face being as red as a tomato. "and yes, I do. You have the other ones I lent you right?"

"Yeah, I do. I finished the last one last night."

"How did you like it?"

"It was okay."

"Okay?! I loved the ending, the whole book I was rooting for them to get back together and they finally did." Levy informed. Lucy giggled again.

"We will talk more about it tomorrow, I got to finish making dinner and grade papers."

"Okay, talk to you later." Lucy hung up the phone, she opened the cabinet and grabbed seasoned tomato sauce. Levy loved books just as much as she did and almost every weekend, the two girls met up and exchanged thoughts about a book at the local coffee and baker shop. Once she finished dinner, Lucy made a bowl and poured a glass of red wine. She set the stack of papers on the coffee table and pulled out her red pen. Lucy sipped the wine and dined as she graded papers.

* * *

She didn't know when she fell asleep but she woke up the sound of someone knocking on her door. Groggily, Lucy glanced at the clock, the clock read 1:00 a.m. and she grimaced. She questioned as to whether she was in some kind of lucid state brought on by the wind until she heard the knocking on her door again. The knocking was accompanied with sound of the hailstorm of rain outside, she cautiously approached the door and grabbed pepper spray from behind the plant beside the front door. She peered through peephole and her eyes widened. A young man stood on her doorstep with salmon colored hair and chocolate brown eyes. He was slumped against her rail, his eyes were closed and he was drenched. Lucy's eyebrows furrowed together, perplexed and she placed her hand on the doorknob. Against her bitter judgement, she slowly opened the door and held up the pepper spray.

"Who are you?" She questioned. He just mumbled something unintelligible and she approached him to noticed he was trembling. Putting down her pepper spray, she reached out and touched his shoulder. "Hey, are you drunk?"

"I'm sorry." Natsu muttered. His eyes slid open meeting hers and his eyebrow twitched. "Who are you? Why are you in m- "She watched his eyes roll back and he collapsed on the ground. Lucy noticed a huge gash on the side of his head and she gasped. She knelt down and shook him.

"We need to get you to a hospital." She stated. "do you have any I.D.?" She reached inside of his pockets to search for any ID, she didn't find anything and Lucy ran back inside of her house. She grabbed her coat off, not caring whether she was in just a tank top with no bra on and a pair of shorts. Lucy slipped on a pair of shoes and she grabbed her purse. She pondered about what to say to the nurses and doctors when she brought this man them. She wasn't responsible for the gaping hole on the side of his head! Lucy chewed on her bottom lip, she suspected that there would be some kind of suspicion but she would deter them as best as she could. She grabbed several towels and headed back outside. Lucy lifted up his head, her hands visibly shaking as she wrapped his head up in attempts to slow down his bleeding. He groaned in agony, Lucy ran to her car and started the engine up. She opened up her passenger door, she threw his arm over her and tried to lift him. Grunting, Lucy fell back down and she grimaced at the man.

How could someone so small look so heavy! She contemplated how she was going to pick him up but the only conclusion was that she would have to drag him. She couldn't sit there and wait for an ambulance, he would probably bleed out by the time they got there. Lucy threw his arm back over her shoulder and as best as she could, she holstered him up. Lucy grunted as she dragged Natsu through the rain and when she reached her passenger seat, she sighed in relief. She shut her car door, hopping over to the driver's seat and sped out of her driveway. Lucy kept the pressure on Natsu's head as she drove and she reached the hospital. She got out of the car, running inside and a girl at the desk looked at her, taken aback.

Lucy's pajamas had blood smears all on the front.

"I need help." Lucy explained. A couple of nurses ran with her back to the car and they helped Natsu into a wheelchair. The nurses rushed him back, going through the doors and Lucy staggered to the waiting room. She presses the coffee dispenser, putting a couple of creamer and sugar in her coffee and took a couple of sips. An officer sauntered over to her not too long after talking to the nurses and cocked an eyebrow.

"What exactly happened to that man you came in with?" He asked.

"I don't know, he just showed up on my porch." Lucy stated. "I don't know who he is."

"I see." Lucy expected more to come out of the conversation but the officer just walked away from her. She sighed and took a few sips of her coffee. Lucy didn't know when she fell asleep but she was awoken by someone shaking her shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss." Lucy woke up and a young girl with long dark blue hair. "Are you here with the guy that came in with the head wound."

"Yes." She rubbed her eyes, furiously.

" I'm doctor Wendy." Wendy introduced

"is he okay?" Lucy questioned.

"Yes, I am not sure how he got the wound but we will find that out when he wakes up. We had to put several stitches in his head but I think he will be fine." Wendy said with a smile. Lucy smiled back and nodded. "You can go see him if you want."

"No, I don't know him."

"But, I am sure that he would want to see who brought him in." Wendy informed. Against her bitter judgment, Lucy gave in and headed into his room. He was propped up, hooked up to all these machines and a blood bag. His head was wrapped up in gauze, Lucy sat down next to the bed and stared at him.

She wondered where he could have come from? How did he get that wound? Did she help some kind of murderer? The possibilities of how he got his wound were endless ranging from something harmless to deviant. She ended up falling asleep once again, tiring herself of the thoughts but she was interrupted by the sound of machines going off. Lucy woke up to find her pink-haired stranger rolling around in bed and screaming to himself. The nurses rushed in to try to calm him down but he managed to push them away including a very robust man. '

"Where am I?" He demanded. "Why am I hooked up?!" He made eye contact with her and he stopped, instantly. His eyes became wide and he pointed at her. "Blood, you guys help her!" He grabbed Lucy by the arm and looked at her, shocked. "Are you okay?"

Lucy cleared her throat, he was beautiful with his sun kissed skin and thin lips. Up close, she noticed his roots were black and she pursed her lips.

"It's not my blood, it's yours." He stared at her stunned before touching his head and the gauze. He staggered back, collapsing back on the bed and the nurses approached him with caution.

"You showed up on my porch." Lucy explained. "I brought you here. What's your name?" Natsu blinked twice and he licked his lips. She reached over his tray, giving him a cup of water and handed it to him. He took it, gulping it down in one sip and he wiped his mouth.

"I'm Natsu." He introduced himself. "I don't know my last name." A wary smile etched itself across his face. "and who are you?"

"Lucy Heartfilia." She stated. "But, you can call me Lucy. Natsu, do you remember how you ended up on my porch?" The room was silent as nurses looked at the two, awaiting an answer.

"I…." Natsu began. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his head. Lucy nearly shook as he let out a scream and tears began to stream down his face. "I don't remember! Bright lights coming at me!" He started to shake his head. "Bright lights."

Natsu kept reiterating the words, the nurses hiding to the corner, cowering at what the pink-haired patient would do next. Lucy felt her heart quench at the sight, she approached him and he looked at her. Lucy wrapped her arms around him, she felt his body stiffen and she smiled to herself. The warmth emanating off of his body was inviting and comforting, she tried to bask in it.

Just who was this guy?

She did not expect anything in return from the simple gesture, she just felt the need to want to comfort him. Unexpectedly, she felt him wrap his arms around her in return and push her closer to him. He sobbed in her stomach.

"I'm sorry." Natsu said after a while. "I don't remember more."

"It will come to you." Lucy assured. Natsu pulled away from her and his eyes lowered, sullenly.

"Perhaps." He mumbled lowly. "Hey, thanks. I'm sorry for getting your shirt all wet."

"I would expect your memories to come back." Lucy looked up and Wendy smiled at the two. "it is only temporary due to the head trauma. But, why don't we keep you in the hospital for a couple of days to make sure you're okay."

" Okay." Natsu agreed. Lucy grimaced to herself, where would Natsu go if he didn't remember where he lived? Did he have loved ones that were wondering where he was?

"You can stay with me when you get out." Lucy informed. Natsu's eyes widened in shock and Lucy placed her hand on her hip. "you can stay will me while we figure out where you came from. I have a spare bedroom so it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"Really?" Natsu beamed. "Thank you."

"No worries. I should go and I'll be back tomorrow." Natsu nodded. Lucy sauntered out of the hospital room and Wendy followed behind her.

"Natsu was probably hit by a car in this rain." Wendy stated.

"It sounds like it." Lucy nodded in agreement. "Will he really get his memories back?"

"Most people do but there is a small percentage who don't." Wendy sighed. "but, don't worry. I am sure he will get his back."

"Yeah." Lucy peered over Wendy's shoulder at Natsu who was looking directly at them with an unfathomable expression on his face and she turned red, looking away. "Well, I got to go." Lucy nearly rushed out of the hospital after giving the nurses her contact information and she thought about how it felt to be in his arms.

It was nice.

What was wrong with her? She had just met him! As she walked in her house, she glanced at the clock and it read 5: 00 am. Only thirty minutes of sleep and she would have to be back up again? Lucy was mentally tired though, she stripped off her blood stained and wet clothes and threw them in the laundry. She collapsed on her bed and fell asleep with nothing on but her underwear.

* * *

Lucy groaned as the clock went off, she rolled out of bed and yawned as she made her way to the shower. She would need a big cup of coffee to get her through the rest of the day. After She got her shower done, she hopped on the first thing she found in her closet and sauntered to the living room. She gathered up all the graded papers and headed out.

She stopped by the nearest coffee shop and ordered the largest size. When she arrived at the college, levy looked at her, shocked.

"What happened, everything okay?" Levy inquired.

"I'm fine." Lucy assured. "Just let the coffee take effect."

"Long night grading?" Levy guessed.

"Yeah." Lucy went along with it. It wasn't like she didn't want to tell Levy about her mystery man and how he would be living with her, she just wanted to explain it at a different time and place.

"Did you bring the books?" Levy asked. Lucy groaned, realizing she was supposed to being them so they could exchange.

"No, sorry."

"No problem, I will come by later." Levy assured. "I better go start my class." Lucy nodded, heading to her own class and thank the heavens, the coffee gave her the boost that she needed to get through her three classes.

* * *

When she got back home, Lucy began to clean out the spare bedroom and taking all of her stuff out of it. She placed new sheets on the bed and vacuumed. She had concluded that Natsu was no threat to her, she just knew it in her heart, some may regard that intuition as reckless but she did not care. Levy came by and they exchanged books. She had to make their meeting short because she had promised Natsu that she would see him. She was also anxious to know how he was doing.

* * *

Lucy arrived at the hospital, heading to Natsu's room and saw him indulging in multiple trays of food. He had better color to his face, the bandages were off his head and Lucy smiled at the sight. Natsu took notice of her, he waved and a huge grin spread across his face.

He seemed to be in better spirits.

Lucy sauntered over to his room and she sat down next to him. "Hungry?"

"Yeah." Natsu wiped his mouth and the plate down.

"So does this mean I am going to have to go grocery shopping now?" Lucy giggled to herself.

"Listen, Lucy. I am really happy that you choose to do this for me." Natsu informed. "I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"You don't have to." Lucy placed her hand on his and he looked up at her. "just get better and I'll help you ever step of the way to get your memory back." Lucy withdrew her hand and chewed on her lower lip. "Sorry."

" It's okay." Natsu assured. A blush coated his cheeks now. "I didn't mind, it was nice."

"You know what size clothes you wear?" Lucy questioned.

"No." Natsu said, rubbing the back of his head.

"that's okay, we'll find you stuff to wear." Lucy assured. Lucy spent a good day visiting with Natsu and dozing off in the chair.

* * *

XXXX

Natsu stared at her, he vowed that he would do everything he could to get his memory back and then he would repay her.

He promised himself.

A few days later-

Lucy was excited that Natsu could fit into the clothes she bought him, she opened up the car door as the nurses helped Natsu get into her car and Natsu sighed when they drove off.

"I'm glad to be out of there." He admitted. "I hate hospitals." She turned the corner and Natsu looked at her. "Where are we going?"

"To the store." Lucy informed.

"That seems nice." Natsu said, closing his eyes. He couldn't shake off the overwhelming feeling of contentment washing over him.

 **If you would please review the chapter, it would greatly be appreciated as there will be more to come- TheGoldenThread**


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